First of all, thank you for the support. I ready every single review/comment you (readers) post and I am so thankful that you are all being patient.
Where do I begin… My Grammie passed away a few hours after I left the hospital. I'm glad I was able to spend that time with her. Sadly, we were in a very serious accident on our way home from her funeral. The car was totaled, and it was discovered that I've suffered a brain injury. We are still trying to figure out what all is going on but at least I can still move around and speak. You can probably tell in this chapter where my memory has slipped and I apologize ahead of time. If that wasn't enough, I've lost a close member of the family in her fight with nervical and brain cancer, so things have been pretty hard for me. Losing two people that I cared for immensely hurt my spirit and I'm so thankful that I have such loving people around me. A cousin on my side who has started high school was just diagnosed with latent TB and Crohn's Disease. Crohn's has no cure and the latent TB could become active at any time. Everything just seems to be doing downhill for my side of the family… Anyway, they are patient and extremely supportive, so I'm dedicating this chapter to them.
Regenerative Braking
Yusei gently tapped his knuckles against the wood. "Akiza? Are you ready to go?" When no sounds came from the interior, he turned the doorknob and peeked his head in. His lips lifted into a smile at the sight of her laying on her back, hair askew and clothing disheveled, with Star and Bullet on either side of her head. They each greeted him with meows as they stood and stretched. He debated on letting her rest a little longer, but they were supposed to be meeting the others at the restaurant in twenty minutes. If he didn't wake her now, she wouldn't have enough time to prepare. Not that she needed to. He shook his head as thoughts of her wearing the turbo suit flashed through his mind. "Now's not the time for that," he murmured, steeling himself as he entered the room. "Akiza, time to get up." Pink threatened to enter his cheeks as she moaned lowly, shifting so that she was spooning the cluster of pillows that had collected on her right side, but he forced it down with a smile as Star began to nuzzle her now exposed neck.
As if she had been struck by lightning, Akiza bolted upright with a gasp. "STAR! How many times have I told you not to do that?!" Her caramel orbs quickly found Yusei standing in the doorway as he called her sleeping beauty. A blush tinted her cheeks as she quickly straightened her clothing and combed her fingers through her tresses.
"He was helping me wake you," Yusei smiled, sitting next to her on the bed. "It's almost time to go." Her eyes lit up like fireworks as he mentioned that Leo and Luna had called not too long ago to tell him they were just picked up from the airport. They had just recently returned from studying abroad in Russia and they would be in town for the next week on break. Akiza's hands fluttered nervously as she stood, causing his eyebrow to raise mildly as she darted into the closet and closed the door. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were excited."
"Why wouldn't I be?!" Her hands darted amongst the hangers, searching for that outfit. It was in here somewhere, but where? Movements stalled as she caught the sight of something mint green. Found it!
Yusei absentmindedly slid his hand behind Star's ear as sounds of rummaging came from the door. Looks like he had made the right call to wake her when he did. He should probably give her some privacy. Standing, he made his way to his own room just down the hall. With black stained jeans, a casual cobalt tee that was decorated with Japanese writing that read "clustering hoper will become a new shinning star" in metallic gold lettering, simple slip-on shoes, and a single chain with a single pendant the shape of stardust made of obsidian. He was running his hands through his hair to comb it when his eyes caught sight of movement near his bed. Curious, he opened the door of his closet wider and froze.
Those colors…was she wearing… She had her back to him, her focus on something in her hands, but she turned when she heard the door swing open. "Oh, there you are! Think you could help me really quick?" she asked over her shoulder. "I can't reach the zipper." He swallowed the lump in his throat as he moved to stand behind her. With a quick pull, the zipper shot upward and closed. His eyes widened as she stepped away from him and twirled to face him. "What do you think?"
She was wearing an off-the-shoulder dress, the fabric acting as the neckline was the color of mint, coming together at a point between her mounds. The rest was simple dark red material that reached her mid-thigh, the skirt relaxed and fluttering with each move she made. On her wrists were fragile gold bracelets in the shapes of vines. He almost missed the long pair of petal-like sashes that were sewn to the back that trailed behind her like wings that matched the color of her white wedged sandals. A simple band of black hung around her neck, a single diamond pendant in the shape of a rose in full bloom resting between the valley of her collarbone. Her lips moved, bringing his attention to the rosy pink that was there. "Yusei?"
His arms pulled her against his chest, earning a gasp. "Aki, you're wearing it. It's new and different, but it's the same, isn't it?"
Her heart skipped a beat. Of course Yusei would notice, she was hoping he would. "Do you like?" she whispered, peeking up at him. "I remade the outfit I used to wear. It was my way of… attempting to move on from everything that had happened."
Yusei's hand gently cupped her chin, lifting it upward. He said nothing as his eyes met hers, the hand cupping her chin rising to caress her cheek. Flashes of their first meeting flashed in their eyes the longer they gazed at one another. How far they had both come. "Aki…" he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. Her breath caught as his head lowered, her eyes closing as their noses brushed-
The air was suddenly shattered with the sound of two ringtones; one coming from Yusei's bedside table that sounded of revving engines and the other coming from Akiza's pocket that sounded of chimes. They both inwardly cursed as the sounds continued. With an apologetic smile, she stepped away and fished the phone from her pocket as Yusei picked up his own. "Hello?" They broke into full smiles as they chorused the greeting.
"Where the heck are you two?" Crow's shout came through their lines. Looks like he had group called them. "Everyone is already here!" Akiza was quick to apologize, explaining that she had fallen asleep after the long trip and that getting ready had taken her a little longer than usual. "Never mind that, just get here A-S-A-P! Some of us are starving here!" Yusei promised that they would be leaving shortly and the lines went dead.
He turned his attention back to Akiza as she hurriedly dashed from the room to gather her clutch. "So close…" With a groan, he made his way down the staircase while swiping a ring of keys from the hook behind the front door and slipped out the door. Destination: the garage. The large garage door opened with the push of a button, revealing a metallic admiral blue Corvette LT1 V8. He'd been working on it since Akiza had moved to Germany and now seemed like the best time to reveal his masterpiece. His lips lifted into a smile as he took his seat and the engine roared to life.
"Alright, alright," Akiza appeared from around the corner, putting the finishing touched on her knee-high boots. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the car, her jaw dropping as the top slid backward. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"You like?" he smiled, getting out and moving to her side, opening the door.
"It suites you way better than a Maclaren, no offense." she winked, allowing him to help her into the car. "So where are we eating?" Her head shook as he simply shrugged. That was Yusei, secretive to a T.
He couldn't help but sheepishly smile as she began shifting in her seat as they pulled out of the driveway. Businesses and buildings flashed by as the car slid along the road, the sun glittering across the polished surface of the car. He stole a glance at her as she slightly leaned forward, her attention fixed on one of the buildings ahead of them. It was differently styled than the others around it; curved corners, tall thin windows that reached from the roof to the floor, hedges that lead from the front door to the main street and parking lot that was visible just south of it. There were multiple people making their way to and from the building wearing business suits. In the reflection of the window, he could see her expression drop. He didn't have to ask why. Wordlessly, he slid his hand from the steering wheel and rested it atop of her own.
"He's probably really busy," she sighed. Her father was a senator, of course he would be a busy man. She had learned that hard lesson when she was a little girl. "I'm not going anywhere for the time being, so there will be plenty of chances for us to catch up." Despite her words, the ache in her heart only grew as she watched the building disappear behind them.
Hearing the sadness in her voice, Yusei lifted her hand to his lips, earning a surprised gasp. "Smile." His eyes briefly met hers before they returned to the road, but it was long enough to fill her with warmth. "Maybe after we eat you can give them a call. I'm sure they would love to hear from you." A smile tugged on her lips as he covered her hand with gentle kisses. His own lips lifted into one as she began to giggle, then finally ceased as she broke into a grin. "Much better." She playfully shoved his shoulder slightly as he began to chuckle.
The car slid to a stop in front of an older establishment but by no means was it dilapidated. It was a wine red Victorian style building, three stories high with a rounded corner on the west side, and had paned windows that revealed spacious dinning areas. Akiza's eyes quickly found the establishment's name and could only gawk. "Le Coureur Leblanc?" She turned to Yusei who couldn't help but laugh at her bewilderment. "No way…"
"I know, none of us believed it either when the rumors started," he smiled, slipping out from behind the wheel and making his way to open her door. "I don't know who was most surprised, you or myself." Helping her from the vehicle, he handed his keys over to the valet who was patiently waiting next to them. With a nod, the valet informed them that their other guests were already inside waiting for them.
He couldn't help but smile as Akiza's eyes danced with excitement as they walked along the path that lead to the front door. On either side of them were hedges full of pristine white roses that were in full bloom, filling the air with their heavenly scent. The large red stained oak double doors swung open as they approached, revealing an entranceway that looked straight from a hotel magazine. Gold covered walls, red wine carpet, large crystal chandelier that threw rainbows everywhere, and the waitstaff were wearing classy tailcoats that were the color of cream. One of the hostesses greeted them with a warm smile and asked for them to follow her. Akiza kept a tight hold on Yusei's hand as they made their way to the south end of the establishment, her eyes darting around excitedly. He couldn't blame her, this was the first time he has been here for leisure.
"Bienvenue, vieil ami, " a familiar voice came from their right as they approached an enclosed patio. Dressed in a white business suit with a ruby red rose in her hand, Sherry Leblanc smiled from the doorway that lead to a private dinning area. "Akiza, it's so good to see you." Akiza smiled, blinking in surprise as the blonde embraced her. "I know, it's surprising to see that I have come away from the turbo dueling," Sherry smoothly placed the rose into Akiza's messy bun. "but it was time to live my life as I saw fit." She apologized, saying that she was unable to stay any longer, but encouraged Akiza to give her a call whenever she had time before she was lead away by her faithful butler.
"Well, that was unexpected." Akiza smiled, reaching up and brushing the rose with her fingers. Her eyes widened as long thin arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind, causing her to stiffen until she caught sight of light teal hair and was wafted with the smell of cotton candy. In one smooth motion, she spun and warmly embraced Luna. Luna clung to the Psychic Duelist as if her life depended on it. Although they were close in height, it still felt as though Akiza held her as a mother would a child. Akiza couldn't believe her eyes when they finally released one another!
The once small shy girl had grown into a fine young woman. She was wearing a daisy colored romper that had scattered floral patterns that matched the gold wedged sandals she was wearing and showed off her semi-athletic legs. Her straightened hair, decorated with a few floral barrettes, now reached the middle of her back. "What do you think?" she smiled, blushing slightly. "It was a gift from Dex."
"You should have seen how nervous they were to tell me," Leo appeared behind her from one of the porch's doorways. He was dressed in a simple white athletic polo with a dark grey vest and black jeans, a pair of black and teal SKECHERS on his feet. His own hair was cropped short but was still long enough for it to be messy and his voice had dropped an octave though he was now a few inches taller than his sister. His lips lifted into a sheepish smile as he was gathered in Akia's arms, his cheeks dusting with pink. "It's great to see you."
They each wrapped an arm around her, Luna's around her waist and Leo's around her shoulders, and pressed a cheek to hers. "We've missed you, big sister," they chorused, their eyes twinkling.
Yusei couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips as Akiza vigorously embraced the twins. Akiza's eyes were now bright and literally dancing with joy as she was lead down the hall towards where their room was. He was glad that she had accepted his invitation to come back to Domino and to stay with him. The entire evening, he was unable to take his eyes off her as they ate their dinner and conversed with the people who had gathered to welcome her back. It was long past eleven when he voiced that there would plenty of more opportunities for them to meet and catch up, good-byes were said with hugs, and they were on their way. He had made the right choice in calling it a night, Akiza nearly nodded off as they made their way back his residence.
"I hope you had fun tonight,." he smiled, keeping a tight hold on her as he helped her out of the car and into the house. The smile waivered as her arms suddenly wrapped around his neck, a startled gasp escaping his lips before her own covered them. His eyes slid closed as her velvet lips molded against his. A shiver shook his body as her hands slowly drifted down his torso, her fingernails leaving light trails in his shirt and igniting a small fire in his lower belly. His blood began to boil as a faint moan slipped up her throat and against their lips as his hands cradled her head. They broke away for air just as their lungs began to protest, resting their foreheads together and their breaths mingling. "What was that for?"
Akiza's caramel orbs rose and met his, revealing warmth and admiration as her arms wrapped around his waist. "For being you, the best friend any girl could hope to have." His hold on her tightened as her eyes slid closed and her body went slack, her soft breathing and slightly flushed cheeks telling him that the wine she had to drink was finally taking effect. He smoothly transitioned her so he was carrying her bridal style, quietly shushing Star who had come to greet them, and was preparing to slip her under the covers when she shifted to point towards the washroom. Within minutes, she had changed into a floral patterned nightshirt that barely reached the tops of her thighs, was tucked under the covers, and sound asleep.
Once he was sure that she was sleeping soundly, he closed the door to her room and returned to his own. He had changed into a simple gray tank with black gym shorts and was just turning off the light when he felt the bed shift behind him. His cheeks burned as a familiar soft figure pressed itself against his back, a soft sigh emitting from the person he held closest. As silently as he could, he shifted around so that they were face to face and smiled as she snuggled against his chest. "Sweet dreams, my beautiful rose."
I hope you all like it, and I thank you all for being patient. See you next time!